Pickworth, Rutland
Encyclopedia
Pickworth is a civil parish and small hamlet in the county of Rutland
in a region characterised by Rutland County Council as the clay woodlands of the Rutland Plateau (a Jurassic limestone plateau).
In the 13th century Pickworth was quite a substantial village, but by the end of the 14th century it was almost non-existent. It now comprises a small church, a disused Methodist
chapel, a few large houses and a couple of rows of terraced and council houses, with a population of 81.
At the southern boundary of the village is a crossroads leading to Great Casterton
about three miles (5 km) to the south, the A1 road at Tickencote Warren to the west, Lincolnshire Gate
and Castle Bytham
to the north and an unmaintained track to Ryhall
Heath to the east.
The current church, All Saints, was built in 1821 and lies to the west of the village. Maps previously showed the spire of the demolished church under the name Mockbeggar to the west of the current village site.
The remains of the old medieval village lie mainly to the west of the current village centre in an area referred to as Top Pickworth. The only visible remains, other than earthworks, is a stone arch.
Just to the west of the village lie the remains of a lime kiln. In 1817 this was the workplace of local poet John Clare
. About two miles (3 km) south-east is Walk Farm, formerly known as Walkherd Lodge, which was the home of Martha "Patty" Turner, who became John Clare's wife. Both the lime kiln and Walk Farm featured in a television documentary that was made about the poet in the late 1960s.
About two miles (3 km) to the west of the village is the site of the Battle of Losecote Field in 1470. It has been claimed that the village was depopulated as a result of the fighting.
Rutland
Rutland is a landlocked county in central England, bounded on the west and north by Leicestershire, northeast by Lincolnshire and southeast by Peterborough and Northamptonshire....
in a region characterised by Rutland County Council as the clay woodlands of the Rutland Plateau (a Jurassic limestone plateau).
In the 13th century Pickworth was quite a substantial village, but by the end of the 14th century it was almost non-existent. It now comprises a small church, a disused Methodist
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
chapel, a few large houses and a couple of rows of terraced and council houses, with a population of 81.
At the southern boundary of the village is a crossroads leading to Great Casterton
Great Casterton
Great Casterton is a village and civil parish in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England. It is located at the crossing of the Roman Ermine Street and the River Gwash.-Geography:...
about three miles (5 km) to the south, the A1 road at Tickencote Warren to the west, Lincolnshire Gate
Lincolnshire Gate
Lincolnshire Gate is the name given to a corner in the road between Holywell and Pickworth to the south-west of Castle Bytham. It describes the point where this tiny country road crosses the county border between Lincolnshire and Rutland, to pass between Newell Wood and Howitts Gorse...
and Castle Bytham
Castle Bytham
Castle Bytham is a picturesque village and Civil Parish of around 300 houses in South Kesteven in south Lincolnshire.At one time the village was an important commercial centre for the surrounding agricultural communities, but it is now largely a dormitory, although a number of farming families...
to the north and an unmaintained track to Ryhall
Ryhall
Ryhall is a village and civil parish in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England. It is located close to the eastern boundary of the county, about 2 miles north of Stamford.-The Village:...
Heath to the east.
The current church, All Saints, was built in 1821 and lies to the west of the village. Maps previously showed the spire of the demolished church under the name Mockbeggar to the west of the current village site.
The remains of the old medieval village lie mainly to the west of the current village centre in an area referred to as Top Pickworth. The only visible remains, other than earthworks, is a stone arch.
Just to the west of the village lie the remains of a lime kiln. In 1817 this was the workplace of local poet John Clare
John Clare
John Clare was an English poet, born the son of a farm labourer who came to be known for his celebratory representations of the English countryside and his lamentation of its disruption. His poetry underwent a major re-evaluation in the late 20th century and he is often now considered to be among...
. About two miles (3 km) south-east is Walk Farm, formerly known as Walkherd Lodge, which was the home of Martha "Patty" Turner, who became John Clare's wife. Both the lime kiln and Walk Farm featured in a television documentary that was made about the poet in the late 1960s.
About two miles (3 km) to the west of the village is the site of the Battle of Losecote Field in 1470. It has been claimed that the village was depopulated as a result of the fighting.